Robert Vadra To Campaign For Congress During Lok Sabha Polls, Draws BJP Taunt

Businessman Robert Vadra today announced that he will campaign for the Congress in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

"Yes. I will campaign all over India," news agency ANI quoted Mr Vadra, the husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, as saying. He also said that he will be present with his mother-in-law Sonia Gandhi and brother-in-law Rahul Gandhi whey they file their nominations from Uttar Pradesh's Amethi and Raebareli parliamentary constituencies on April 10 and 11 respectively.

Elections to Amethi and Raebareli will be held on May 6.

Mr Vadra currently faces an Enforcement Directorate case relating to alleged money laundering in the purchase of a London-based property at 12, Bryanston Square, worth 1.9 million pounds. He had recently said that the investigation against him by probe agencies does not anger him anymore because he understands that they are just "doing their job". He, however, maintained that the central government was conducting a witch-hunt against him.

Even Rahul Gandhi said that the probe agencies were free to investigate Mr Vadra, as long as they look into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's alleged role in the Rafale fighter jet deal too.

Mr Vadra, who is also accused of involvement in a Rajasthan land scam, had earlier hinted that he may join politics after he is cleared of all charges. "I surely have been serving n helping people in need for years, and would like to serve people on a bigger platform, but only once all false accusations & allegations levied on me are cleared (sic)," Mr Vadra wrote in a Facebook post last month.

However, BJP leader Smriti Irani scoffed at the idea of Mr Vadra campaigning in the elections. "I would only like to say this: Robert Vadra may go wherever he wants, but the people would be well-advised to keep a close watch on their lands while he is around," she said. 

Mr Vadra's wife, Priyanka Gandhi, had joined active politics as a Congress general secretary in January. There are 80 Lok Sabha seats at stake in Uttar Pradesh, polling for which will be held in all seven phases.

(With inputs from ANI)